Leicestershire Matters

Please let us know if you find Leicestershire Matters useful and interesting, or if there are subjects you would like to see included in a future issue.

Call: 0116 305 6967, e-mail: Leics-Matters@leics.gov.uk or write to: Leicestershire Matters, Room 211, Chief Executive’s Department, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8RA.

This year the Audit Commission raised the bar for its annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA), making it much more difficult to achieve a high rating. The previous descriptive rankings of Poor to Excellent were also replaced with a star rating ranging from Zero to Four.

County Council Leader, David Parsons, said: “I am delighted that we have attained the four star rating – particularly as the Audit Commission has set more demanding targets this year. This is another impressive achievement by our staff and a credit to them.” Last year we were rated as ‘excellent’ and have achieved a place in the highest category again, despite the more challenging assessment procedure. We have been awarded four stars after scoring consistently well across all our services.

The commission’s report praised our track record of sustained improvement in key services such as children’s social care.  It recognised that we have successfully improved public transport, road safety and the condition of our highways. The report also praised the educational support we provide to minority groups – demonstrating our commitment to our diverse communities.  We will be looking to raise educational performance among 14-16 year olds where the assessment identified standards have remained average.

Overall the County Council was judged to be ‘improving well’ since last year’s inspection and well placed to consolidate our progress and improve services further. Our goal now is not to be complacent and ensure we deliver even better services to the people of Leicestershire.

For more details on the assessment, visit our website at the 4 Star pages of the website or call 0116 305 7605.

The new facilities are open at Charnwood Borough Council offices in Loughborough and at the Braunstone Civic Centre. The Charnwood Service Shop has been launched in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council. The Braunstone Service Shop has been opened in partnership with Blaby District Council and Braunstone Town Council.

‘Connect’ Service Shops provide members of the public with better access to public services and information.They are run in partnership with district and local councils to provide ‘one-stop’ access to a range of Council services. This prevents the customer being passed from location to location or between departments. Service shops provide access to County Council services such as reporting faulty street lighting, potholes and road defects, or making an application for free school meals. They also feature an internet point with free access to public service websites.

‘Connect’ Service Shops are already open in Hinckley, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray and at County Hall, with four more planned for locations across the County in 2006.

Tony Kershaw, our Cabinet Lead Member for Access to Services, said: “Improving customer service is an important priority for the County Council. I am very pleased that we are working together with District Councils and other partners to develop better access to a range of Council services.”

At the help points you can take advantage of the free access to public service websites, which provide advice and guidance about many Council services.

There are already 20 help points based in County libraries.  A further 10 new help points will be in place by the end of April at various locations including parish council offices, a school and Sheepy Magna Church.

For more information about your nearest Help Point or Service Shop visit the Service Shop pages of the website.

Publicans and residents in Leicestershire are being urged to get involved in the ‘Living Locals’ scheme which is available in rural settlements with populations up to 5,000 people.

Individual grants are on offer to landlords who want to provide services or facilities that might be needed by the local community such as a village shop, a crèche or an internet café.

The initiative will enable communities to access a new service in a familiar local setting and support their rural pub at the same time.

Living Locals is being run by the Leicestershire Rural Partnership (LRP) with the support of the Leicester Shire Economic Partnership (LSEP).  The LRP is chaired by the County Council and comprises 19 partners including local authorities, the LSEP, Business Link and Leicestershire Constabulary.

For more information about the grant scheme call 0116 305 8098 or e-mail: livinglocals@leics.gov.uk

Last year we had over 1.5 million visitors and we are hoping the number will increase again in 2006.

A lot of work has been carried out to add to the many services available on-line.

One of the new features is a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section.  This provides immediate answers to questions commonly asked of the County Council, such as: “Where are speed cameras located?” or “When are the school holidays?”

A comprehensive A to Z of services has been produced.  This includes information on all our services, plus those of some of our partners.

You can now also watch live broadcasts of full County Council meetings.

Further developments include a new feature where you can find local services that are near to your address, and the availability of on-line forms to apply for services such as direct payments for social care.

You may wish to search for an adult education course, take part in a consultation exercise, submit a planning application, report a problem with a street light or apply for a job with the County Council – all of which can be done on-line.

More services are being added all the time, which makes the website the ideal place to carry out business with the County Council.

If you do not have the internet at home, you can always access the website free of charge at your local library or service shop.

Log on today at www.leics.gov.uk

She said: “The website is easy to use and enables you to find out more about County Council services and what is going on in your local community at anytime, at your own convenience.”

It is easy to compost and a great way to transform your garden. Simply add leftovers, for instance: vegetable peelings, apple cores and used teabags, along with garden waste such as grass clippings and plant prunings. The compost will be ready in a few months to help you grow healthy plants, tasty fruit and vegetables and make your flowerbeds bloom.

We are working with the District and City Councils on this offer, which is provided through WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme). This is a Government-funded independent organisation, aimed at increasing recycling. We ran a similar offer in the Spring 2005 edition of Leicestershire Matters and it proved to be extremely popular – so we would urge you to place your order while stocks last!

Simply phone 0845 073 2001 to order your new compost bin.

For more details on recycling and reducing waste, contact our recycling hotline on 0116 305 7339 or email: wastemgt@leics.gov.uk

To recognise their hard work and dedication we held an awards ceremony at County Hall, Glenfield.  Long-serving crossing patrols were presented with special certificates and badges by County Council Chairman, David Bill, to acknowledge their valuable work. There are currently 104 patrols in post across the County.

If you are interested in becoming a School Crossing Patrol call 0116 305 6515, e-mail jbarradale@leics.gov.uk or write to the School Crossing Patrol Team, Room G30, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8RF.

The County Council attraction was recognised at the Leicester Mercury’s ‘The Week Awards’.  It won the ’52 Week Award’ for the best Leicestershire attraction offering a day out all year round.

Snibston Discovery Park includes a spectacular fashion gallery, which is the largest in the country outside London; and the Extra Ordinary gallery, which has over 20 interactive exhibits exploring technologies and inventions that shape our lives.

For more information about these and other collections at Snibston Discovery Park visit the website or call 01530 278 444.

Celebrate 80! includes the ‘Big Day Out’ on June 3^rd at Abbey Park, Leicester which will be attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

For more details on this and other events visit the Celebrate 80! website

The event, run by Melton Mowbray Food Partnership, will take place on the 7^th-8^th October and follows last year’s hugely successful event.